Rotary engine.



R. SMITH.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.4. 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented 001;. 26, 1915.

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RICHARD SMITH, or sHEaBaooKri, Q EBEC, CANADA, esame or mamas To CHARLES WALTER GATE, or SHERBROOKE, QUEBEC, CANADA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

Application med January 4, 1915. Serial 310.419.

provement 0n the apparatus disclosed in my former Patents, Nos. 646,392 and 646,393;

The object of the invention is to provide an engine of the rotary piston type adapted to utilize the full expansive force of steam or other fluid under pressure.

A further object is to provide an engine of extreme simplicity and durability, which may be manufactured at small expense.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description.

The device consists essentially ofa cylindrical casing containing arotor having a substantially radially projecting portion. The inlet to and exhaust from said casing are placed approximately 285 degrees or more apart, so that the expansion is practically double that of a reciprocating engine. Furthermore, the leverage of the large diameter rotor utilizes the power of the motive fluid to thegreatest advantage.

Gates are provided between the inlet and exhaust head. v

In the drawings which illustrate the invention :Figure l is a side elevation of the engine showing one half of the side plate removed. Fig. 2 shows on the left a half end elevation and on the right a half centralsec'tion. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is, a section on the line ll, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side View of one of the inlet cams. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the rotor bearing surface of the easing. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing an alternative formof gate.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates abase upon which is mounted a circular body casing 12 having side plates 13. The body and its side plates forming the casing are provided with a continuous jacket 14, so that the machine may be kept warm or 0001 according tothe motive fluid used;

passages which act as a cylinder chambers or cylinders 16 The body 12 is divided by a central part1t1on15 so as to form with the covers two cylinders 16 and 17. Between the periphery and the central shaft 18, the body and covers are each provided with broad flanges 19, which approach closely to one another and substantially restrict the and 17 to annular form, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The shaft 18 which is mounted in roller bearings 20 inthe covers carries a pair of rotors, each consisting of a circular blade 21 having an approximately radially projecting arm 22, an arbor 23, and a piston 24 mounted on the arm 22. The arm 22 previously mentioned as approximately radial is turned very slightly out of the trueradial direction, and its axis is substantially tangential to a small circle of about the same diameter as the shaft. The object of this is to have the angular direction of the arm when the rotor is revolving in the direction of the arrow compensate for the centrifugal force actingon the piston, so that the piston,

does not press any harder on the outside of the casing than it does against the flanges 19. The faces of the, flanges 19, against which the blades 21 of the rotor bear, are

provided with suitable packing, so that fluid tight joints are maintained. This packing, designated 25, may be of any suitable shape such as shown in Fig. 6. j p p,

The gate 27, which is provided between the inlet and exhaust, is mounted in a suitable housing-28 and is radially disposed, as clearly seen from Fig. 1. The gate is carried and operated by a spindle 29 toothed at its free end to form a rack 30. A rocker 31 toothed at both ends is mounted 011 a rack 32 carried by an extension 33 of the housing 28, and is operated by a slide 34 pivotally. connected to it intermediate its ends. The slide 34% carries a small roller 35 which engages the irregular curve of a cam 36 on the shaft 18. Both the slide 34: and the gate spindle 29 are mounted in suitable guides 37 carried on the plate 33. The gate when in retracted position is entirely clear of the annular cylinders, but when in its normal advanced position, c n, pletely' blocks the cylinders resting in a well fitting groove 38. p The inlet valve shown in detail in Fig. 4,

consists of a body 39 mounted on the cover tained closed by a spring 41. A valve stem 42 projects through the casing and is provided at its free extremity with a roller 43 engaging a cam 44 mounted on the shaft. The supply pipe 45 is connected to the valve case 39 on the opposite side of the valve from the inlet port 46. The cam 44 is preferably made of two disks 47, each having a comparatively short projecting portion or throw 48, and. each provided with circularly curved slots 49, through which set screws 50 may be passed to clamp the disks in any desired relation to a hub 51 fixed to the shaft.

In Fig. 7 a slightly alternative form of gateis shown. Instead of being in a single piece as in Fig. 3, this gate is divided in .the center and the parts move in opposite directions. The gate parts 52 are each rabbeted .at 53 so as to overlap and make a fluid tight joint when closed. One gate has an angularly projecting arm 54 at the top,

and the other has a similar arm at the bottom'operating through a gate case 55.- In each arm 54, one end of an oscillating lever 56 is engaged by means of a ball and socket joint. The rocking lever is operated by a lever 57 outside the gate case, which is connected by a link 58 with any suitable men ber 59 carrying a roller 60 engaging a suitable cam 61 rigidly mounted on the shaft.

It will be understood that in the drawings a double unit is shown, that is, one having'two rotors in a single casing. The inlet and exhaust and the gates of these two rotors are of course on opposite covers, and are in addition diametrically opposite one another, so that while each rotor only receives one charge of motive fluid per revolution of the shaft, the entire machine receives two such charges per revolution. It is obvious that a machine may be built with a single rotor, but a double unit is much more economical to build and much more powerful.

It will also be obvious that a munber of such double units may be connected on a single shaft. When steam is used as a motive fluid, the jacket of the easing may be connected to the supply pipe 45 by a suitable pipe 62.

The operation of the apparatus is extremely simple and is almost obvious from the foregoing description. In brief, the operation is as follows :The inlet valve 40 is opened by the revolution of its cam 44 as soon as the piston passes the inlet port, and

remains open a suitable length of time, admitting motive fluid under pressure between the piston and gate, which is normally closed. This motive fluid drives the piston in the direction of the arrow until the supply is cut off, and after cut off, the expansion of the fluid continues to drive the piston, thus rotating the shaft. When the piston uncovers the exhaust port, the fluid escapes. When the piston approaches very closely to the gate, the irregularity of the cam 36 operates the slide 34, which shifts the rocking lever 31 and withdraws the gate for the passage of the piston. The gate is closed after the piston in the same manner and remains closed. As soon as the piston passes the inlet port, a fresh charge is admitted. The exhaust remains always open so that the piston at each revolution drives out what remains of the previous charge. The time and duration of opening of the inlet may be regulated by shifting the disks 47 of the cam 44 relatively to one another and to the hub 51, so as to alter the position and length of the throw 48.

The operation of the modified form of gate shown in Fig. 7 is extremely simple. The oscillating lever when shifted operates the gates always in opposite directions, that is, toward one another or away from one another. Each form of gate has its own peculiar advantages. The form shown in Fig. 8 is all external and may be easily tended. The form shown in Fig. 7 is largely inclosed, but has the advantage of slightly quicker operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a device of the character described, a casing, forming an annular chamber, a rotor in said casing having a non-radial. arm, and a piston mounted on the arm, said arm being disposed tangentially to a circle smaller than the rotary to counteract centrifugal force acting on the piston.

2..In a device of the character described, a casing having a pair of annular chambers therein, gates traversing said chambers arranged on opposite sides of the casing and on opposite sides of the casing axis, a shaft passing through the casing, rotors thereon, pistons carried by the rotors, cams on the shaft, and cam operated rocker mechanism arranged to open and close said gates for the passage of the pistons.

3. In a device of the character described, a casing having a central chamber and a surrounding annular chamber, a reduced annular passage connecting the central and surrounding chambers, a rotor including a thin blade occupying the passage and a piston loosely mounted on the blade occupying the annular chamber, and packing of reverse curve lorm in the walls of said passage engaging the rotor.

4. In a device of the character described, a casing, a shaft passing axially therethrough, a pair of annular chambers in said casing, a central wall separating said chambers, an inlet and exhaust passage for each chamber arranged in close proximity, a gate traversing each chamber between said exhaust and inlet, the passages and gate of one chamber being on opposite sides of the casing and opposite sidesof the axis from those of the other chamber, a rotor in the casing having a pair of pistons each occupying a chamber, means operating said gates, an inlet valve on each inlet passage, and adjust-able means operating said valves subsequent to the operation of the adjacent gate.

5. A device of the character described, comprising the combination with a casing having an annular chamber therein, of a shaft, a rotor on said shaft, a piston on the rotor occupying said chamber, a gate traversing the chamber, a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends, a sliding connection between said lever and the gate, and cam operated means connected to the lever at its pivotal point arranged to open and close the gate for the passage of said piston.

6. A device of the character described,

- comprising the combination with a casing having an annular chamber therein, of a shaft, a rotor on said shaft, a piston on the rotor occupying said chamber, a gate traversing the chamber, a rack toothed spindle for said gate, a fixed rack, a rocking lever toothed at its ends engaging between said racks, a slide pivotally connected to the lever intermediate its ends, and a cam on the shaft arranged to operate said slide at predetermined intervals.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination with a casing, an axially disposed shaft, and a rotor on said shaft, of an inlet passage for the casing, an outlet passage, a valve controlling the inlet passage, an operating cam for said valve mounted on the shaft, said cam comprising a hub fixed to the shaft, a pair of similar slotted cam disks revolubly; mounted on the shaft, and means releasably holding said disks in predetermined relation with one another and with the fixed hub.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set in hand, in the presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD SMITH.

Witnesses SAML. F. MoREY, ALEXINA JONCAS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

